In a society where women are already at disadvantage just for being women, it’s hard to maintain and strive for goals. There is this idea, though hardly spoken aloud, that boys know more than girls, and so boys grow up raising their hands confidently in school (even when they’re wrong), and girls sit quiet (even though they have the answer). There is a stigma around acknowledging this so-called “truth”, which most people are conditioned to believe when they’re very little, and so women grow up and get jobs and don’t realize that they’re 100% qualified for that promotion, or deserving of that pay raise (which would probably just even out the wage gap, since on average, women are paid 75 cents on every man’s dollar). When women are promoted, however, they’ve clearly just “slept their way to the top”, since women couldn’t possibly actually KNOW what they’re doing now, could they? Trust me, women know men are thinking this, and it’s discouraging, despite the fact that it’s false. You see, women have also been conditioned to accept it as normal. But that’s something that has got to change.
What would Cleopatra do? Well, a very brief look at some history (a history that is not taught enough or at all) proves that women have the power to lead armies, stop wars, and rule countries. Cleopatra did everything and anything she could to gain power, and when she had it, she had no intention of sharing it with her brother, the joint matriarch. What did she do? She dropped him from official documents and HER face appeared on currency, not his. When she couldn’t use her voice or intelligence to persuade, she used her sexuality, having slept with the likes of Julius Caesar and Mark Antony to maintain power. She was clever, she was beautiful, and she is still an icon for a reason. So, going for that promotion at work? Don’t be afraid to use all of the weapons in your arsenal, as long as you keep your integrity. Your flawless face could be the next face on a twenty dollar bill.
